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UPDATE—Thursday, Jan. 16, 7:30 P.M. Wonderful news! The U.S. Senate has just passed the FY2014 spending bill with the horse slaughter funding-limitation language intact. The president is expected to sign the bill by the end of the week. This means that no horse slaughter facilities will be permitted to open in the U.S. for the 2014 fiscal year. Congratulations and thanks are due to all our amazing animal advocates, who helped secure this victory.

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The U.S. House of Representatives has just passed the federal government’s FY2014 spending bill, which contains language expressly prohibiting the use of tax dollars to inspect facilities that slaughter horses for human consumption. The massive funding bill is expected to pass the U.S. Senate and be signed into law by President Obama later this week, ushering ina ban on domestic horse slaughter nationwide.

“The message from Capitol Hill is loud and clear on this issue: Our horses deserve better and this abhorrent industry will not be tolerated,” says Nancy Perry, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Government Relations. “We thank the members of the House for recognizing that using taxpayer dollars to fund the inhumane horse slaughter industry is reckless and wasteful, and urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill.”

In response to overwhelming public opposition to horse slaughter, Congress enacted a similar spending prohibition each year for FY2006 through FY2011. However, it failed to include the prohibition language in the FY2012 budget, opening the door for this gruesome practice to return to U.S. soil.

While the proposed FY2014 spending bill will protect American communities from the devastating environmental and economic impacts of horse slaughter facilities, it will not prohibit the transport of U.S. horses for slaughter across the border to Canada and Mexico. Last year, more than 160,000 American horses were victims of this grisly, foreign industry that produces unsafe, drug-tainted meat.

We can end this horror by passing the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (S. 541/H.R. 1094)—bipartisan legislation that would permanentlyend the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horse meat.

Join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade!

By joining the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade, you will receive important alerts from us when we need your help to fight for laws that will help animals.&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;https://aspcaforms.wufoo.com/forms/z7s3w7/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a... href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;https://aspcaforms.wufoo.com/forms/z7s3w7/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;a... out my Wufoo form!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Luckily, this was just the beginning of a transformation for Red. When he arrived at the ASPCA Animal Hospital, he was thin and had multiple wounds on his head and leg. Red received treatment including IV fluids, pain medication and antibiotics. After six weeks of care and recovery, Red was ready to find a new forever home.

Just before Christmas, Red went home with adopter Zach C. to begin his new life as a beloved pet. Red, now known as Hank, is thriving with Zach and his cat, Frank.

"ASPCA volunteers stayed late so that I could bring Hank home before the Adoption Center closed for the holidays,” Zach says. “Hank is now part of the family and adds his own personality to an already happy home. There's nothing like waking up with a dog who is excited to play and hang out with me all day.”

Zach reports that while he was initially nervous about Hank and Frank getting along, the two are very curious about each other and love to compete for the attention of Zach and his girlfriend.

We’re thrilled that Hank is so happy and healthy in his new home. Unfortunately, thousands of animals are victims of cruelty nationwide. If you live in New York City and witness animal cruelty, please call 311 (or 911 for crimes in progress) to notify the NYPD. To learn how to report cruelty in your state, please visit our Reporting Cruelty FAQ.

Ready to help more animals like Hank in 2014? Join us! Become an ASPCA Guardian, and for just a few cents a day, you can make a huge impact on countless lives.

One of the hardest—and most rewarding—parts of life at the ASPCA is saying goodbye to our adopted animals. Nothing makes us happier than when they find a forever home, but we often wonder what they’re up to and how they are enjoying their new lives. Fortunately, there are pet parents like Andee G. Andee adopted Wallace the cat from us in 2012, and since then, she’s kept us updated on his life in a very unique way. Here is their Happy Tail:

“When I first met Wallace,” Andee tells us, “he was 7 weeks old. He was just adorable. He curled up right in my arms and cuddled, which won my heart.” During their first year together, Wallace and Andee became inseparable companions. But Wallace also took on a different, more unexpected role: social media star. That’s right! Through Instagram, Andee has taken and shared over 200 photographs of the sweet grey cat, all using the hashtag #AdventuresOfWallace. Thanks to this wonderful use of social media, we’ve now seen Wallace sniffing flowers, napping in the sun, and exploring all that the world has to offer. And through all the photos, one thing remains in focus: Andee has given Wallace an incredible life.

Since we love nothing more than to see our ASPCA alums doing well, we consider this an incredible gift. Thank you to Andee and Wallace, and here’s to many more happy #Adventures!

Have you adopted a pet? Email us your story at[email protected], and we might feature it on the blog!

Want to stay up-to-date on the latest ASPCA Happy Tail?

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The U.S. Congress just released the brand new funding bill for FY2014 – a massive bill involving more than a trillion tax dollars – and we are thrilled to announce that horse slaughter will not be coming back to United States soil.

The ASPCA worked day and night to ensure that tax dollars would not be spent on inspections that enable the slaughter of horses for human consumption. We worked closely with other animal welfare organizations, consumer safety groups, as well as thousands of citizens representing the 80% of Americans that oppose horse slaughter, and Congress has listened. The message from Capitol Hill is loud and clear on this issue: Our horses deserve better and this dangerous industry must not be tolerated. Horse slaughter has no business here.

Advocates fought hard when the Agriculture Appropriations bill was being considered at committee level, winning votes in both the House and Senate that amended the bills to prohibit funding for horse slaughter inspections. And tonight, we finally know that this horse slaughter funding limitation is intact! Congress is not expected to make any changes to the bill text at this stage of the game, so the writing is on the wall for any efforts to open horse slaughter plants in the U.S. Both chambers are expected to pass the bill, and the president is expected to sign it into law, later this week.

Now is the time for Congress to take the final step in protecting America’s horses from this nightmarish industry, by passing the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1094 / S. 541) to prevent both the slaughter of American horses for human consumption in this country, and their export for that purpose abroad.

Last fall, NYPD patrol officers responded to a 311 call and found two underweight dogs living in deplorable conditions in a Bronx backyard. The officers brought the dogs, Hall and Oates, to the ASPCA Animal Hospital, where our veterinarians treated them. The owner was arrested and charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Hall and Oates were part of the first group of animals to benefit from a new partnership between the ASPCA and the NYPD. With this groundbreaking collaboration, which started with a pilot phase in the Bronx in September 2013, the NYPD will now take the lead role in responding to all animal cruelty complaints in NYC’s five boroughs. The change—given the NYPD’s tens of thousands of officers across 77 precincts—will allow for a swift response to abuse complaints and expedite the ASPCA’s treatment and rehabilitation of abused animals.

In the first several months of the partnership, the NYPD received nearly 800 hundred calls from the public about suspected cruelty. Twelve arrests were made, and more than 30 animals were treated at the ASPCA.

The arresting officer in Hall and Oates’ case was moved by the experience. “I am going to look further into this matter and try to make a change,” the officer said at the time. “A lot of officers are interested in what I did today.”

If you live in New York City and witness animal cruelty, please call 311 (or 911 for crimes in progress) to notify the NYPD. To learn how to report cruelty in your state, please visit our Reporting Cruelty FAQ.